A recently issued report by the School for Public Health of the University of California at Berkeley, calls for a new effort to reduce lead exposure in the workplace. The organization, Health Research for Action, at UC Berkeley concluded that low to moderate levels of lead exposure are a major hazard to both workers and their household contacts.The report concludes: "Much more is known today about the health effects of lead than was known when OSHA enacted its lead standards in 1978 (for general industry) and 1993 (for the construction industry). Research has identified significant health risks at low to moderate levels of lead exposure that were formerly without recognized harm. Because lead can seriously impair cardiovascular health, cognition, reproduction,and kidney function, the persistence of elevated blood lead levels in workers may be a significant contributor to chronic illness and societal health care costs."
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